are comfortable with and stick to that.
Won’t do a contract ahead of time—it is always a good idea to get
started with a new client by writing a contract. This is going to be a
good way to protect you and the client. This contract is going to list
all the things that will happen while you are working together,
including the work to be completed, the cost, and the deadlines. If a
client won’t fill out the agreement, there is probably something that
is going wrong, and you need to be careful.
Clues inside the posting—sometimes you will be able to see that
there are issues with the client within their posting. If the wording
keeps changing, there are issues with the grammar, or something
else seems off with the posting, you should proceed with caution
and look for another client to work with.
The workload changes—when you read through the job posting,
you will look to see what the workload is about and then fill out
your application. Sometimes though, you will spend time talking to
a client, and they will try to change the scope of the work or add on
a lot more and still want to pay the same price. These clients often
prove to be difficult to work with and will keep changing the scope
or adding on more work without paying you extra. Set out the terms
right away and only do the work that was agreed to.
Client is hard to get ahold of—if you are having trouble getting
your client to answer your emails or calls and the job hasn’t even
been awarded yet, you may need to worry. Times get busy, but if
your client goes days without talking to you and then all of a sudden
show up again, you are probably dealing with a difficult client. Give
them some time to respond, but if it seems to take too long, it may
be best to pick someone else to work with.Learning when to spot a bad client is one of the best things that you can do
for your career. There are a ton of clients who are excellent, pay well, and are
a joy to work with, and you will find plenty of these along your journey. But
you will find that one bad client can ruin it all for you. So, make sure you are
looking for some of these signs each time that you apply for a new job and
find out which clients are the best for you.